Terrell Owens Defends Behavior Against Childrens' Mothers on 'Dr. Phil'
Terrell Owens, 38-year-old IFL wide receiver who has been unsuccessful in his attempt to return to the NFL after an injury in 2010, appeared on the "Dr. Phil" show on Tuesday afternoon with three of the four women with whom he has children.
In the beginning of the show, host Dr. Phil McGraw told Owens that he was a fan of his work on the football field and that he may have been mistreated by critics. Before Owens appeared on stage, McGraw played a clip in which he spoke about the media attempting to ruin his image.
"Within the media, they think I'm a selfish, arrogant, cocky person," Owens said. "My character has been mis-portrayed. The media won't allow me to turn over a new leaf."
However, the show's dynamics began to change with the appearance of Kimber, who said Owens has not seen their 7-year-old daughter in at least a year.
"He doesn't call, he doesn't send Christmas gifts," Kimber told McGraw.
The football star defended his actions by speaking about his demanding schedule.
"The thing is, with me traveling back and forth, I don't have a set schedule," Owens said. "Pretty much 90% of the time every time I've reached out it's been a bad time."
Melanie, another woman who mothered Owens' child, also said the former NFL player neglected to see their daughter for about a year. She said she planned to make a trip with her child to see Owens, but he did not want to pay for her plane ticket in addition to his daughter's.
Monique, the mother of Owens' oldest child, told McGraw that the football player only saw their child in public to improve his public image.
"He was trying to exploit his kid," she told McGraw.
Owens explained that he was the product of a broken home during his own childhood, and that he was having issues with his expensive child support payments. Still, he admitted that it was not responsible to father children by four different women.
"It wasn't a plan," he told McGraw. "I was irresponsible in that regard."
After the show, Owens was seen interacting with his children backstage.
"Have you been to Magic Mountain," Owens questioned two of his children as the show came to a close. "Maybe I can take you guys to Magic Mountain. You can ride the roller coaster."
After one of his children's mothers called him "evil" on the show, Owens tweeted about the ordeal. When his cousin attempted to defend him, the football star said, "Don't worry about it cuzzo! God knows the truth. I have nothing to hide."